Memories Lost
by darkrisingphoenix
Summary: [Futurefic] Surrounded by people of the past, whom he can't even remember, life finally takes its toll on him.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I do not own Prince of Tennis in any way, shape, or form.**

And I'm back with a Prince of Tennis story.

This idea seems new, but I'm not that sure is it is.

And this one is also more angsty than what I usually write, so... be surprised if you've read Ice.

For my Ice readers: I'm sorry, but that fic is going to be on hiatus until I find a nice, strong liking for Naruto again; probably around the time when they stop showing the stupid filler arcs.

This takes place fifteen years after Nationals.

---

He felt light...

Like he was drifting in the air...

He could unconsciously feel the sheets over his body, the pillow under his head, and the bed under him. He felt the needle in his arm, and the tingling feeling that came with it.

He could hear snippets of a conversation that seemed far off.

"Please pretend-"

"Know-"

"Okay?"

He suddenly broke from his reverie and slowly opened his eyes. White light shown into his eyes and he squinted to get used to it.

"So you're awake?" A voice, the same one he had heard earlier when he had been dreaming, greeted him. "Can you sit up?"

He groaned, and attempted to do so. A slim hand found his back and carefully helped him into a sitting position.

"Here, you might need these." A pair of glasses was pushed onto his nose.

"Thank you." He fully opened his eyes and saw the person who had helped him was a young man around his own age with honey brown hair and a cheerful face who was sitting by the bed Tezuka was on. "Who are you?"

"I think the question is: 'Who are _you_?'"

"I'm Tezuka Kunimitsu, age 30, a businessman."

"So you remember, eh?" The smile seemed to arch down further. "Tezuka-san, you were in a train accident. Though you escaped with only a few scratches, something happened to your brain and we figured that you would have at least a mild case of amnesia."

"I really doubt it." Tezuka grunted, not liking the fact that he was in the hospital.

"Well, I want you to think back and relay parts of your life to me. Let's start with your birthday last year. Tell me what you did."

"I went to work and then to dinner with a client." Tezuka replied.

"I see. How about your 25th birthday?"

"Same."

"I see. You don't seem to like birthdays, do you?" The grin on the man's face seemed to grow even more.

"No."

The next question came immediately. "Your twenty-first birthday? Surely you must have celebrated that."

"No. I went to class and then ate dinner while studying."

"Birthday when you turned eighteen."

"I got a tennis racket, new sneakers, and a laptop."

"You have a good memory, Tezuka-san. Tennis racket? Did you play when you were in Jr. High?" The smile had impossibly grown again.

A silence followed.

"You can't remember? How about in high school?"

The question hung in the air for a minute.

"Elementary school?"

"Yes. I won a few tournaments." A sigh of content escaped the smiling doctor's lips.

"Well, Tezuka-san, it looks like your memories from the time you began Jr. High and the time you graduated high school have escaped you." He stood up, white coat gently swaying. "Don't worry. It's temporary for the moment. I'll see you tomorrow to see if you are in a condition to see our psychiatrist." The man began to leave.

"Wait."

"Hm?" He turned back towards Tezuka.

"Who are you?"

"I'm Fuji Syusuke, your doctor. Just call me Fuji." Without another word, the doctor left.

---

_Fuji Syusuke_...

It sounded familiar, even an hour after the strange doctor had left. Why? Perhaps it was the fact that his last name was the same as that of a famous mountain? Tezuka quickly dismissed the thought and pulled his glasses off. Setting them on the table near his bed, he lay down and forced his mind to slow and his body to sleep.

He dreamed of smiles and tennis that night.

---The Next Day---

"Tezuka-san? You didn't die on me, did you? Are you going to wake up?"

He opened his eyes and saw the same crazy doctor that had asked all those questions yesterday leaning over him. A smile suddenly crept into his mind, before Tezuka quickly shoved the image away and reached for his glasses.

"If I did die, would I be talking right now?" he asked wryly once the lenses were in place. Fuji only kept smiling at the infamous Tezuka-glare that would scare the wits out of a demon.

"I guess not, but can you walk? Because if you can, I'm making you walk all the way down the hall to the psychiatrist's office."

"Down the hall? It's not very far, is it?" Tezuka then tried to sit up but groaned at the effort.

"It is if you can't walk, no?" Fuji smiled almost triumphantly before a voice interrupted him from the door.

"Fuji, I don't think right now is a good time for your sadistic side to be kicking in." They both turned and Tezuka saw a tall man wearing the same white coat as Fuji was with black hair that was gelled down and seemed like swim cap was glued onto his head.

Fuji brightened. "Hey! We were just about to visit you!" He rushed to greet the newcomer. "You didn't have to come all this way."

"Fuji," He placed a hand on his friend's shoulder. "It's only down the hall; a forty-five second walk. Not that far."

"Yes, but I think Tezuka-san needs the exercise. He hasn't been out of bed in a month." Fuji pointed at said man. The other doctor looked at Tezuka and smiled.

"I suppose you're Tezuka Kunimitsu?" Tezuka nodded slowly. "It's nice to meet you. I'm Oishi Syuichirou, the hospital's resident psychiatrist."

---

It's short, but it seemed like a good place to cut off.

I would have cut off at where Fuji introduced him, but then it would have been about 500 words long.

Please review!


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: I do not own Prince of Tennis in any way, shape, or form.**

And another chapter of Memories Lost.

Way too soon, but I had inspiration.

(Don't expect such fast updates, please.)

Beta'ed and extensively edited by my sister, P-Dark (paralleltodarkness).

(Note from P-Dark: VERY extensive editing. Lots of description added by me... good luck reading.)

(Note from DR Phoenix: Not my fault my vocabulary's not quite as big as yours.)

Thank you, everyone that reviewed!

---

"Oishi, Tezuka-san; I'll leave you two to talk." Fuji stepped out of the room, waving a goodbye to the two men.

"So, Tezuka-san, how have you been lately?" The psychologist tried to begin a conversation. "What a stupid question. You've been in a coma for a month." Oishi mumbled to himself, his face flushing to a tinge of pink so light it was barely noticeable. He was half-glad that Tezuka was looking straight ahead, instead of at him. "But how were you before the accident?"

"Fine."

"Fine?" Oishi began, scribbling something down on his notepad. Tezuka's answer had been short and succinct, to the point where his answer couldn't get any shorter. "Can you elaborate a bit on that?"

"I had a dentist appointment the next day and my co-worker's birthday cake to buy."

"Birthday cake? Were you two close?" More scratching on the paper.

Tezuka shook his head and answered, "No. The office was planning a party for him, since he was retiring the week after as well."

"I see." The pen moved on its own accord. If Tezuka had looked at Oishi at that moment, he might have seen Oishi's smiling face falter in just the slightest way. "Fuji told me that you lost your memory. Can you tell me how far back you've forgotten?"

The answer was short and quick, just as always. "Right before Jr. High and just after high school."

"Ah." Oishi glanced at the clock. "Well, that's all for the day. I'll see you again tomorrow, Tezuka-san." He began towards the door and opened it, revealing an ever-smiling Fuji. "Here are the notes." The top sheet of paper was ripped off and handed to the doctor.

"Thank you, Oishi. Talk to you later." As the psychiatrist left, Fuji walked in and sat down where Oishi had previously occupied. Scanning the paper, he chuckled lightly. Redirecting his gaze at Tezuka, he opened his mouth to speak. "So, Tezuka-san. What did you think of Oishi?"

The words slipped out before Tezuka could stop himself. "He seems a bit familiar."

"Really now? Who did he remind you of?"

"I'm not sure." The smile had, once again, curved just a bit more.

"Well, are you tired?"

"No."

"Good." Tezuka felt himself abruptly being pulled out of the hospital bed by Fuji. "You are going to put on the clothes your mother brought you last night and then we are going to go for lunch with Oishi."

"No." He began getting back under the covers.

"Please? I think some fresh air would do you good." The pale fingers reached for his arm again. Tezuka took note of the fact that his doctor was still smiling, though he was sure that if it was him, his facial muscles would have been sore long ago. How his doctor managed to walk around with his eyes closed, let alone take care of patients, was a surprise to him. So strange. "And it's not like you're going to de discharged from the hospital anytime soon."

"What?"

The fingers had curled themselves lightly around his wrist; the grip gentle and firm, as if his wrist were a tennis racket. "We need to keep you here for at least another month to see if you get your memory back. So just come with Oishi and I. You're getting hungry, no?"

In response, Tezuka's stomach rumbled.

"Then it's settled!" He was once again hauled out of bed by the smaller man in a mere instant. He suddenly felt the smallest bit of shame that the doctor was so strong, yet he hadn't truly exercised or played tennis for a long time. "Off we go!"

There was a rather awkward pause, before Fuji cleared his throat and began to speak again.

"Er, your clothes are over here. Come out when you've finished changing." Fuji gestured to a bag on the floor and sheepishly walked out, closing the door. Perhaps if Fuji had turned around again, Tezuka might have been able to see the blindingly blue eyes that had just opened for a fraction of a second.

---

Tezuka slowly slipped on the jacket, glad that his mother had remembered it was October. Zipping up the jacket, he passed by the nightstand. The notes his psychiatrist had written were sitting on it, folded in half and lightly crumpled. Opening it and smoothing the creases, Tezuka skimmed the writing. What he had said and a few other notes had been scrawled on the paper, but at the bottom, something caught his eye.

Shrugging it off, he exited the room to find Fuji waiting for him, lightly bundled up in a light windbreaker.

---

_Attitude: Same as I remember, Fuji._

---

"Excuse me," Tezuka started. He had lived in this city for quite a while now, and he was sure that this wasn't the way to any decent restaurants nearby. The closest one he could think of within walking distance would be a wasabi shop, which he sure as heck wouldn't eat. Though there was a nagging feeling in the corner of his heart that he wouldn't be surprised if they did end up there, though he brushed away that feeling. "Where are we going?"

"We're heading for a nearby park first." Fuji steered Tezuka towards a park he often passed by on the way to and from work. "I have someone I want you to meet there." The two of them walked silently through the gates of the park, strolling along a path that led past the playground.

Fuji began whistling a merry jingle from an old ad for soap as they neared a crowd of people gathered around a set of sitting steps. Music played as the horde of people ooh-ed and aah-ed at whatever it was that they were watching. Fuji weaved his way through the jam-packed crowd, clearing a path for Tezuka.

A person doing back flips came into view as Fuji pushed towards the front. It was a rather energetic redhead with something white on his right cheek, whom was jumping about to the beat of a rhythm coming from a nearby boom box. He was rather good at acrobatics, and Tezuka mused to himself that maybe this person would have been a good tennis player.

The song soon ended and the redhead bowed and held out an old cowboy hat. Coins and bills were deposited into the hat and soon the crowd dissipated, leaving Fuji and Tezuka there with the redhead that was eagerly digging around in his hat, counting the money that he had earned.

"3675, 3680, 3690, 4000 yen!" He jumped up in the air in what seemed to be joy. "I can pay for lunch now!"

"Good job, Eiji." Fuji spoke to the acrobat. This Eiji turned around, his face breaking into an impossibly larger smile, before leaping onto the doctor in a giant hug.

"Fuji, Fuji! It's a new record!" He held out the hat proudly. Fuji was still smiling in the same way as before, as he dipped his hand into Eiji's hat and pulled out a few bills. Eiji quickly slapped Fuji's hand, forcing his friend to deposit the money back into the hat. "Greedy person, aren't you?"

"Maybe." Fuji turned to Tezuka. "This is Kikumaru Eiji. He's an old friend of mine and Oishi's. Eiji, this is Tezuka Kunimitsu, a patient at the hospital."

"Nice to meet you, Cap-!" Fuji had slapped a hand over Eiji's mouth. Eji gave a few muffled shouts that sounded something like not being able to breathe, before he wrenched Fuji's hand off of his mouth. Casting a glare at Fuji, he corrected himself. "I mean, Tezuka!" A hand grabbed his and shook it enthusiastically, his smile and gaze losing all menace as soon as he turned to the taller man. "Fuji, are we going for lunch now? I'm hungry!"

"Yeah." Eiji jumped in the air with joy. Tezuka thought that he had quite a good bit of stamina, though his movements and style made him think that Eiji was more suitable for playing doubles than singles. Fuji watched Eiji for a few moments, before speaking again.

"So I assume you'll be paying?"

"Fuji, you're so mean! It's not like you don't have enough money!" Fuji chuckled at Eiji's sullen face before turning to Tezuka.

"Come on, Tezuka-san; let's go meet Oishi at the restaurant." Tezuka nodded, feeling just the slight bit apprehensive, before following Fuji and the bouncy redhead out of the park. He almost breathed a sigh of relief when he noticed that they were heading in the opposite direction from the wasabi shop.

"Where are we meeting Oishi?" Eiji asked.

"Taka-san's."

---

I really, really need to learn how to write longer chapters.

But thanks again to P-Dark for editing and extending!

And a greedy Fuji was all Sis's idea.

Please review!

Note: I think 4000 yen is about 40 dollars.


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: I do not own Prince of Tennis in any way, shape, or form.**

And another chapter of Memories Lost.

Thank you, everyone that reviewed!

---

"Taka-san's?" Eiji pestered Fuji. "You just want wasabi sushi with extra wasabi, don't you?"

"If you don't want to go to Taka-san's, then we can head to that wasabi shop back there..." Fuji began, turning around before being grabbed by Eiji and pushed towards the general direction of Tokyo's food street.

"Taka-san's is fine!" Eiji squeaked, pushing the honey-brunet harder. Tezuka noticed that Fuji had decided not to budge as the redhead pushed. "Fuji! I thought you wanted to go to Taka-san's!" He strained, still attempting to move Fuji.

"I'm having second thoughts. I heard that the wasabi shop is really good," Fuji grinned, still keeping Eiji from actually moving him. "Are you positive you don't want to go there?" Tezuka felt a pang as he watched Fuji smile; and he couldn't help but feel that this was eerily familiar.

"Heck no!" Eiji continued to push the shorter man to no avail.

Fuji's grin turned impossibly wider and he shrugged. "Okay then, to Kawamura Sushi we go." Stepping aside, he let Eiji fall over and land on his face. "Whoops," He chuckled. "Sorry, Eiji." Offering a hand to the fallen acrobat, Eiji looked up.

"You meant to do that, didn't you?" He groaned, taking the pale hand apprehensively.

"Of course." Fuji continued to smile with that same annoying smile.

Finally helping up Eiji, Fuji began walking towards the food street with Eiji following closely behind.

"Tezuka-san, be careful," Fuji called. "Stay close and you won't get lost." Tezuka suppressed the urge to snort. He had lived here all of his life; how could he get lost?

"Oh, and if you're wondering how you could get lost if you've lived here all your life," Fuji called. "I guess I forgot to mention that after we ran some tests, it seems it'll take you a while to remember the streets as well."

Tezuka inwardly frowned. This Fuji doctor seemed to know a lot about him, even what he was thinking. It was eerie, bizarre even; to think that this complete stranger knew what he was thinking. As his mind whirled, he didn't notice the speeding man racing towards them. Colliding head-on with the man, Tezuka quickly regained his balance and looked down at the man who was currently sitting on the sidewalk and rubbing his head.

"Sorry, I didn't see you," He said automatically, barely glancing at the man's face.

The man looked up at Tezuka, what seemed to be recognition dawned on his face. "You're-!"

Fuji interrupted. "I'd like you to meet one of my patients at the hospital, Tezuka Kunimitsu. He's lost his Jr. and Senior High memories, remember?" Nudging the fallen man with his shoe, he nodded. "I told you yesterday, right?"

"Huh?" The man looked bewildered for a moment before remembering. "Oh, right!" He stood up and brushed off the seat of his jeans. "Nice to meet you, Tezuka-san!"

"Tezuka-san, this is Momoshiro Takeshi, one of my old friends. He runs a tennis club nearby along with a health food store." Fuji gestured to the now grinning man. "Momo, Tezuka. Tezuka-san, Momo."

"It's a pleasure." Tezuka gruffly shook Momoshiro's hand.

"Same here, Tezuka-san! Come by and play a few games, okay?" He directed the question at Fuji, who smiled and nodded. "Bring Tezuka-san and Eiji-senpai too, alright?" Turning back towards the direction he had been going before crashing into Tezuka, Momoshiro began walking gaily again. "See ya!"

Fuji waved a good bye to Momoshiro with Eiji calling after him. "Make sure there are open courts this weekend!" The hyperactive redhead shouted.

"Okay!" Momoshiro answered, waving an 'OK' sign back towards the three.

Meanwhile, Tezuka had looked at Fuji and raised an eyebrow. "'Eiji-senpai'?" He asked doubtfully.

"Momoshiro, Eiji, Oishi, and I went to the same Junior and Senior Highs together. Momo's a year younger than us, so it's a habit to call us 'senpai' nowadays." Fuji shrugged and turned back towards the building they had stopped by. "Do you like sushi, Tezuka-san?"

Before Tezuka could answer, Fuji began speaking again. "I hope so, because we're eating here today." Tezuka turned towards the building. On a black sign, in scrawling white characters, the words 'Kawamura Sushi' were printed rather messily. It was a traditional restaurant, with sliding doors and hand-painted cloth hanging over the entrance. "Tezuka-san, you seem to de thinking a lot lately. Something troubling you?"

"No," Tezuka's answers were still as blunt as ever, and Tezuka thought he saw Fuji's smile falter the barest amount.

Eiji looked between them, puzzled. "Fuji, are we going to be eating or just looking? I'm hungry!" He said, tugging at the shorter man's arm.

"Oh, sorry, Eiji," Fuji pulled his arm away. "Let's go in, shall we, Tezuka-san?" Tezuka responded wordlessly by following the other two in. The inside of the restaurant was nearly empty, with only the sushi chef behind the counter, a small group of people sitting at one of the tables, and a man at the counter, whom Tezuka recognized as the psychiatrist Oishi, chatting animatedly with the sushi chef. Just as the sushi chef held up a finger and went into the kitchen, Eiji pounced like a cat.

"Oishi!" Eiji sprang towards the doctor, giving the man a hug. "It's been a while, hasn't it?"

Oishi laughed, nodding. "Hey, Eiji," He ruffled the messy red hair. "How've you been?"

Eiji grinned. "I'm great! A lot of people come watch me perform, and I even made a few friends!" Oishi gave Eiji another pat on the head before looking at Fuji. Spotting Tezuka, he straightened his posture, as if he was afraid to be punished. "Fuji! You should have told me Tezuka-san was coming."

Fuji held up a hand and waved it airily. "It's not a problem. I already told Taka-san to get places at the counter for four," Fuji looked- at least, that's what Tezuka thought he did, since the doctor's eyes were always closed- towards the returning sushi chef. "Hi, Taka-san. How've you been?"

The sushi chef beamed at Fuji. "Fuji! It's nice to see you. The restaurant has been buzzing since the food critic gave such a great review."

"Well, Taka-san; after a week in the hospital with such bad food and a picky palate, it was only a matter of telling him where the best sushi place in Tokyo was." Fuji sat down next to Eiji, who had promptly plopped down next to Oishi. "Tezuka-san, sit down." Fuji gestured to the stool next to him.

Tezuka slid onto the seat and found himself face-to-face with the sushi chef. "You must be Tezuka Kunimitsu-san. Fuji told me all about you." Tezuka briefly wondered if the strange doctor had told everyone he knew about him.

"Tezuka-san, this is Kawamura Takashi. He's an old friend of mine from school." Fuji's smile was back to its original intensity. Tezuka found himself curious as to whether or not Fuji's face muscles were tired or not.

Kawamura held out a calloused hand. "Fuji and I were on the tennis team in Jr. High." Tezuka paused before taking the large hand. Wryly shaking it, he heard Eiji begin saying something.

"Me, Oishi, and Momo were also regulars!" Eiji protested. "And then, you can't forget Inui, and Kaidoh, and kiddo!" He paused to think. "And you can't forget Captain."

"Captain was just unforgettable, wasn't he?" Fuji sighed, a slender finger tapping his pale chin. "And Echizen was too."

"Yup, yup! What's going on with Echizen these days, anyway?"

'_Echizen? Does he mean Echizen Nanjiroh? Couldn't be, he's old enough to be one of their fathers.'_ Tezuka thought, folding his hands and resting them under his chin.

Kawamura sliced into a small slab of fresh fish. "He's coaching the Jr. High team at Seigaku, I think." He said, quickly moving the knife over the fish. "Momo told me that the last time he came in."

---

Another bad chapter ending...

I just realized that I had this chapter finished, but didn't put it up yet...

I also have another story up, Obsessive Compulsive. Please take a look at it if you have the time!

Please review!


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